First Year
by HarryPoter101
Summary: Abigail Lupin always had an intense love for learning since she was a little girl. She would stand at the cauldron with her mother and produce pepperup potions at the mere age of three years old. However, with her mother deceased and her father a social outcast, she is left nervous to start her first year of Hogwart
1. CHAPTER ONE

_Whenever it's a full moon Mummy cries. She always told me it was because Daddy gets really sick. She would say "you don't want to go near Daddy on a full moon. He gets very sick and if you're too close you can get sick too". Mummy is a Healer. Why can't she just help Daddy like she helps all the other witches and wizards who need her?_

 _This full moon was louder than other ones. Daddy was meaner for some reason and made Mummy cry louder than usual. I wanted to go out and hug her but she kept yelling at me to stay inside my bedroom. I would be in trouble if I went out. I would get sick like Daddy._

 _There was a lot of noise outside my room. Daddy was breaking things and hitting the walls really hard. I thought Mummy would give him something to help him sleep, but she started screaming instead. "Remus, no!" She yelled. There were fast footsteps coming towards my room- fast, scary ones. "Remus! Look at me! That's your daughter in there! Abigail is in there, Remus!" I opened my door once I heard Mummy's voice loud enough._

 _"Abigail!" Mummy stood in front of me and stuck both hands in front of her, but Daddy was too strong for her to fight. He shoved Mummy to the ground and I could see him clearly now that she was down. It didn't look like Daddy, it looked like a monster. I started to cry, but Mummy jumped back up and ran out of the cottage with me in her arms. "Baby girl, you need to run. Remember what Uncle Siri showed you and run as fast as you can. Quick before Daddy-"_

 _Mummy screamed louder than I thought she could. I only looked long enough to see her fall asleep, but it was enough to make me run faster. She'll wake up. Mummy's just sleeping and Daddy's carrying her to bed like he does with me. She'll wake up._

Dad came in without a sound just like he always does. I already had breakfast made for him exactly the way we had it every morning since Mum died. On top of the Daily Prophet sat a plate evenly decorated with poached eggs, sausage, beans and toast with the faintest golden shimmer. Father rarely ate the toast and beans part. That was what I would normally eat off of his plate and he would enjoy the meats. Two glasses sat in front of one plate: one of pumpkin juice for me and coffee for Dad.

"Why am I not surprised that you have breakfast made an entire forty five minutes early?" My father was very punctual around the house. Anything and everything ran by a schedule, and if it was broken by a fraction of a second he would notice it.

"Eat quickly! We may have trouble at the platform, or the floo network could be messed up-" I tried to list scenarios that would delay my arrival on the Hogwarts Express, but Dad simply laughed and put his hand on my shoulder.

"There is no need to rush my love. Take your time and enjoy your minuscule breakfast." He sat next to me and plucked at a sausage, enjoying small nibbles of food and even smaller sips of coffee.

"Please, I just want to be as early as possible."

"I know you're excited." Dad smiled, lifting his plate to pull the Daily Prophet out to read. "But let's channel that excitement towards something else just briefly."

I groaned, trying to hide my obvious smile as my father prepared to list off his rules he expected to be followed. "Dad, I know the rules."

"Alright, then say them with me now... you will write me at least once a week, your grades will be just as good as I know they can be, you will not get _caught_ running around corridors (but as long as you're safe, exploration is good for the mind), you will have no boyfriends until you're old enough to apparate, you will be respectful to all professors no matter the circumstance, you will make great friends, and..." He left the last rule for me to recite myself.

"I will be happy no matter what house I'm in." Dad gave me a hug before continuing to read the paper.

Since I learned the names of the Hogwarts houses, I wanted to be a Gryffindor like my father. The ideal of unmatched bravery and chivalry painted a golden image in my head. Dad always told me that Mum was never meant to be placed in Hufflepuff. She was as loyal as they came, yes, but she was the brightest young witch he had ever met. But Mum never failed to correct him- she used to say that the Ravenclaws were uptight and made learning more of a requirement than an experience.

Dad told me that I had just enough of all the house traits to make it into any one of the Hogwarts houses, but I never really felt like I've wanted to make it anywhere but Gryffindor house.

"You know what..." Dad started out. "You're just a year younger than Harry Potter, I'm sure if you told him about-"

"Dad, he's been living with Muggles his whole life. I really doubt he'd remember the slightest detail about me or you." Dad shrugged his shoulders after my point was made and slid the Daily Prophet in my direction.

"You don't even want to read the news? Merlin's beard you must be excited." He teased. I took his arm and pulled him up, eager to leave the house. I ran up the grassy hills surrounding our small cottage until we reached a tall birch tree.

The silvery branches seemed to be completely bare except for the one string of rope hanging down with a knot on the bottom. The knot was big enough to stand on once upon a time and when I had outgrown swinging on it with my mother in the summer time, Dad turned it into a portkey for this very day. My luggage stood at Dad's side and he smiled bright when I anxiously bounced on my heels waiting to go.

"Are you sure you have everything, my love?" He asked.

"Absolutely certain, now can we please go!" Dad laughed, grabbing tight onto my luggage as we both reached to grab the rope hanging from the tree.

The feeling was the most awful experience I could imagine. My stomach was being pulled from the inside and the world was spinning beneath my feet, but within a split second I was back on hard ground. The world opened up again when I found myself standing for the first time on platform nine and three quarters. Right where my mother knew I would be happiest.

"Would you look at that, we are right on time!" Dad wrapped his arms around me with tears in his eyes. "You promise not to grow up too quickly, alright? Give your old father a chance to keep up."

"My old father's not a day over twenty-five in my eyes." I encouraged, hugging back tightly. As much as I anticipated finally coming to school, the thought of leaving Dad alone for so long made my stomach churn. Or perhaps that way the portkey talking.

"That's what I like to hear." He grinned letting go and walking me over to the train. "Abigail," once I was halfway up the steps, I turned to glance at him one last time before Christmas. "Enjoy it. This is where you belong, love."

I blew my father a kiss to satisfy him and hurried into the train before it left without me. Cars were filled from the front to the back except for one that had room for at least two other people. Two girls sat across from each other in deep conversation. One had long blonde hair going to about the middle of her waist. Her eyes seemed wide all the time and her face had a permanently surprised look as she spoke. The other had brown hair falling just below her shoulder blades. She had a soft smile and sat at the edge of her seat with interest.

I slid open the door to the car sheepishly, looking between the two of them. "Uhm... I'm sorry, would it be alright if I joined you? Everywhere else is pretty full."

"Of course!" The brown haired girl said, patting the seat next to her. "Hi, I'm Lasea Montgomery. Muggle-born as you all would say." She introduced herself enthusiastically. When I was seated next to her she glanced at the other girl and shrugged when she didn't say anything. "That's Luna. I'm sorry I forgot your last name."

"Lovegood." Luna introduced, looking over at me curiously. "Luna Lovegood."

"Erm, Abigail Lupin." I stated simply. Looking around the car to get a feel for my surroundings. Even with Luna's wide stares and Lasea's all-to-bright smiles, I seemed to feel comfortable for the time being. "Sorry if I interrupted your conversation there..."

"Oh nonsense!" Lasea exclaimed. "I was actually just telling Luna how new everything is already. It's like the Muggle world speaking to all these people but they're _witches_ and _wizards_! How bizarre is that when two worlds seem so similar! Except of course all the optical illusion walls and magically animate candies."

"She rambles." Luna stated plainly. Lasea's cheeks started to flush, but she smiled sheepishly and continued to talk.

"Well, it's sort of my mechanism. Any time I'm in new places I start making friends. Even though that means I come off as annoying at first. People generally seem to love me after a while." She looked from me to Luna and back as she spoke, giving both of us the perfect amount of eye contact.

"I don't mind chatter." I said simply and Lasea grinned thankfully. "Back when I was younger I used to talk my mother's ear off. I'd ask her so many questions about the simplest things."

"She got tired of that I guess." Lasea joked lightheartedly. "I used to be the same way with my Dad. 'Lassie', he'd say. 'Are you ever going to learn to pick up a textbook for these questions? Sometimes I don't know all the answers.'"

"Yeah, well Mum always tried to know every answer I wanted." I said, avoiding the topic getting to the present.

"Oh, that's so sweet of her. I bet she'd have to stay up night and day trying to get that smart- children ask the wildest questions!" I nodded without a word before Luna mentioned something about the train to change the subject.

Most of the train ride went by with Lasea chattering away. She would go on about one subject until Luna or I mentioned something else for her to go on about. My mind was going just about as fast as the train with all the thoughts about home and how Dad would be doing without me. I've never been away from him longer than a few weeks. There was a knock on the door and it opened up to reveal a girl dressed in her school robes with a book at her side.

"Sorry to bother you three, but I noticed none of you are in your robes yet. The train doesn't give much time for last-minute changing so I thought I'd just give you a little five minute warning." She casually shut the door and Lasea bounced up to go get her trunk and put on her robes. Luna and I were standing in the car alone when she lowered her voice to talk to me.

"You lost your mother, didn't you?" She asked as if it were an everyday question. Taken aback, I nodded instead of speaking. "I thought I heard about that when I was younger. My father was telling my mother over breakfast. A few years later, she died as well."

"I'm so sorry." I offered. Luna waved it off casually.

"You and I both know that we'd rather leave it than hear conflicted apologies." She said, edging her way out of the train car so that we could both get dressed.

Even with her quiet shell and her intense stare, I could tell that Luna would be a closer friend than I could ask for. She seemed to understand my emotions even before she had the chance to know me. With her understanding and Lasea's never-ending personal acceptance, I had no doubt that school could be just as amazing as I always knew it could be.


	2. CHAPTER TWO

p style="line-height: 1.8em; color: #333333; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, '.SFNSText-Regular', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-top: 0px; background-color: rgba(252, 252, 252, 0.95); clear: none !important;"The candles floating at the ceiling of the Great Hall cast a warm glow over the crowd of first years waiting to be sorted into their houses. Lasea stood anxiously on my left and Luna was at my right gazing up at the enchanted candles and constellations. It was as if she was counting the stars with how focused she seemed. The hat did its performance as usual and suddenly everything went quiet as Professor McGonagall, with all her emerald-robed dignity, approached the stool with a scroll of names./p  
p style="line-height: 1.8em; color: #333333; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, '.SFNSText-Regular', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: rgba(252, 252, 252, 0.95); clear: none !important;""Abel, Adela." She called clearly. A short girl with even shorter whitish blonde hair cut like a pixie came walking up to the stool with steady feet. With her eyes focused on the hat, she put it on and sat down confidently, mouthing the name of her house before the hat even announced it. /p  
p style="line-height: 1.8em; color: #333333; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, '.SFNSText-Regular', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: rgba(252, 252, 252, 0.95); clear: none !important;""GRYFFINDOR!" The hat shouted loud enough to be heard from across the hall and a table lined with Gryffindors cheered loudly, some banging on the table and others whispering. Adela went half skipping to the table and sat next to a girl who looked just a bit older than her. The two were nearly identical in looks except for the older one being just a little bit taller./p  
p style="line-height: 1.8em; color: #333333; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, '.SFNSText-Regular', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: rgba(252, 252, 252, 0.95); clear: none !important;""Adler, Carmen." Another girl without a fraction of Adela's confidence came shuffling up to the chair with her frizzy brown hair covering her face. Her shoulders hunched a little bit until she placed the hat on her head and straightened up. The hat covered her eyes and fell almost to the bridge of her nose, but you could tell her eyes must have been sunken in. Her whole body looked thinner than a toothpick. /p  
p style="line-height: 1.8em; color: #333333; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, '.SFNSText-Regular', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: rgba(252, 252, 252, 0.95); clear: none !important;"After a long pause, the hat finally announced Slytherin and the table farthest from the Gryffindors clapped and hollered briefly. Carmen kept her eyes on the ground when she went to sit at the table. Lasea glanced over at the Gryffindor and Slytherin tables while shaking her head. "I sure hope I'm not stuck with them. They sure do seem obnoxious, if you ask me." Luna and I both nodded in agreement, but I kept my eyes locked on the Gryffindor table./p  
p style="line-height: 1.8em; color: #333333; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, '.SFNSText-Regular', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: rgba(252, 252, 252, 0.95); clear: none !important;"Right where my father sat around twenty years ago. I could practically see a younger version of him clapping politely to welcome every newcomer to the house. He used to tell me all about how much fun it was to be a Gryffindor. There was no such thing as too extreme when it came to defending the people you cared about. I remember him saying how he used to duel Sirius Black (Uncle Siri, as I always called him) outside the cottage he and my mother shared before I was born. Mum would be furious when she would have to patch up both of them in the kitchen and they would still be smacking at each other. The stories always used to make me laugh, but at this moment it became all that I wanted for my own future. /p  
p style="line-height: 1.8em; color: #333333; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, '.SFNSText-Regular', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: rgba(252, 252, 252, 0.95); clear: none !important;""Creevey, Colin." A mousy haired boy went bounding up to the seat and quickly yanked the hat from Professor McGonagall. Placing it on his head, the hat hesitated as usual until,/p  
p style="line-height: 1.8em; color: #333333; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, '.SFNSText-Regular', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: rgba(252, 252, 252, 0.95); clear: none !important;""GRYFFINDOR!" Colin jumped off the seat, handing the Professor the hat and finding the nearest place to sit with his new housemates. /p  
p style="line-height: 1.8em; color: #333333; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, '.SFNSText-Regular', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: rgba(252, 252, 252, 0.95); clear: none !important;"Time went by both so slowly it was like it stopped altogether. A name would be called, a house would be yelled and then there was clapping. The cycle kept going and going until my heart threatened to stop when the last names reached the letter L. /p  
p style="line-height: 1.8em; color: #333333; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, '.SFNSText-Regular', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: rgba(252, 252, 252, 0.95); clear: none !important;""Lovegood, Luna." Lasea and I both gave Luna a reassuring smile for good luck, but she seemed more mystified than nervous. Her shoes thudded on the floor as she slowly made her way to the sorting hat. Her eyes were still staring up at the stars even when she placed the hat on./p  
p style="line-height: 1.8em; color: #333333; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, '.SFNSText-Regular', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: rgba(252, 252, 252, 0.95); clear: none !important;""RAVENCLAW!" Perhaps the fastest response of the night. Luna smiled with relief and finally let her eyes fall from the celestial ceiling long enough to find her way over to the cheering house's table on her right. /p  
p style="line-height: 1.8em; color: #333333; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, '.SFNSText-Regular', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: rgba(252, 252, 252, 0.95); clear: none !important;""Lupin, Abigail." It was like rocks were sewn into my shoes right then. Huge boulders weighing about a ton each and they were forbidding me to move from where I stood. Professor McGonagall glanced at me and summoned me forward one more time. /p  
p style="line-height: 1.8em; color: #333333; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, '.SFNSText-Regular', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: rgba(252, 252, 252, 0.95); clear: none !important;"It wasn't until Lasea gave me a little shove that I started making my way to the hat. Every part of me wanted to be put in Gryffindor, but a voice in the back of my head kept screaming that my plan would go wrong. Placing the hat on my head, everything went dark. It was me alone with my thoughts the way I liked. /p  
p style="line-height: 1.8em; color: #333333; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, '.SFNSText-Regular', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: rgba(252, 252, 252, 0.95); clear: none !important;""em style="line-height: 1.8em; color: inherit !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; text-decoration-color: currentcolor !important; clear: none !important;"Oh do I remember the Lupins./em" The hat murmured in my ears. "em style="line-height: 1.8em; color: inherit !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; text-decoration-color: currentcolor !important; clear: none !important;"A long line of Gryffindors indeed. And let's not forget dear Emerlyn. Such a tender woman- one of the brightest witches I placed in Hufflepuff." /emMention of my mother made my heart flutter in my chest. Would I actually take her place and become a Hufflepuff? "em style="line-height: 1.8em; color: inherit !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; text-decoration-color: currentcolor !important; clear: none !important;"For some reason your desires say Gryffindor. Your mind knows that isn't where you belong, though. Your mind knows where you were meant to be./em" My mind? Well, logically.../p  
p style="line-height: 1.8em; color: #333333; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, '.SFNSText-Regular', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: rgba(252, 252, 252, 0.95); clear: none !important;""RAVENCLAW!" I could feel everything from my fingertips up go numb when the hat called out the one house I had put no thought into. /p  
p style="line-height: 1.8em; color: #333333; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, '.SFNSText-Regular', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: rgba(252, 252, 252, 0.95); clear: none !important;"Luna was clapping enthusiastically along with the other students seated at the Ravenclaw table. Making my way over there, I received a series of congratulations, pats on the back and handshakes. Sitting in between Luna and a boy named Terry, I watched intently when another familiar name was called. /p  
p style="line-height: 1.8em; color: #333333; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, '.SFNSText-Regular', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: rgba(252, 252, 252, 0.95); clear: none !important;""Montgomery, Lasea." I could make out her smile from rooms away if I had to. Her lips practically reached her eyes with how big her grin was and her dark hair swished as she practically waltzed up to the hat, placing it triumphantly on her head. The silence was short lived, an dafter the hat shouted the answer, the cheer was unanimous at the table. /p  
p style="line-height: 1.8em; color: #333333; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, '.SFNSText-Regular', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: rgba(252, 252, 252, 0.95); clear: none !important;""HUFFLEPUFF!" Lasea hopped off the stool and reached out to shake hands all around the table of Hufflepuffs. Her enthusiasm radiated around the entire table, making every face light up when she approached./p  
p style="line-height: 1.8em; color: #333333; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, '.SFNSText-Regular', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: rgba(252, 252, 252, 0.95); clear: none !important;"Luna and I chatted under our breath in between every student until it finally reached the end. Ginny Weasley was marching over to join her family with the other Gryffindors when Professor Dumbledore stood to give his speech. /p  
p style="line-height: 1.8em; color: #333333; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, '.SFNSText-Regular', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: rgba(252, 252, 252, 0.95); clear: none !important;""Welcome back to Hogwarts, everyone." He announced, gradually silencing everybody. "And to all the first years, I look forward to getting to know you. Now I know that you are all patiently waiting for your food, so by all means. Enjoy." /p  
p style="line-height: 1.8em; color: #333333; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, '.SFNSText-Regular', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: rgba(252, 252, 252, 0.95); clear: none !important;"The distributed platters lining the tables piled with food within a second and the four rows of students dug in ravenously as Professor Dumbledore sat to enjoy his own feast with the other professors. Luna ate slowly and I picked at a bit of the food, not in a hurry to eat much of anything. I was never a big eater, but today I felt like if I tried to stomach anything I might vomit. Two girls named Cho Chang and Padma Patil talked to me about some of the classes while we ate- warned me about Snape and enthused about the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. /p  
p style="line-height: 1.8em; color: #333333; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, '.SFNSText-Regular', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: rgba(252, 252, 252, 0.95); clear: none !important;""I heard he's part Veela." Another girl commented from across the table. I shrugged at the thought of looks, but tried my best to put on a front. The last thing I needed right now was to outcast myself around people who could help me get used to this place./p  
p style="line-height: 1.8em; color: #333333; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, '.SFNSText-Regular', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: rgba(252, 252, 252, 0.95); clear: none !important;"By the time the feast was over, my stomach must have twisted and turned a hundred times with how anxious I was. The prefects showed us to the Ravenclaw Common Room (accessible with a simple riddle, oddly enough) and our separate dormitories. Being the first night, most of the students automatically filed into their dormitories to rest, but Luna and I both decided to stay behind and marvel at how beautiful the room looked. /p  
p style="line-height: 1.8em; color: #333333; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, '.SFNSText-Regular', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: rgba(252, 252, 252, 0.95); clear: none !important;"Luna admired a marble statue of Rowena Ravenclaw before reverting back to glancing up at the ceiling which was once again decorated with stars. I walked around the outskirts of the circular room, running my fingers along the bookcases lining every wall. Most of the novels and volumes seemed either outdated or very worn in, which made it call to me even more. One of the thick black volumes with silver embroidering and letters shone in the lighting and the title popped to me. /p  
p style="line-height: 1.8em; color: #333333; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, '.SFNSText-Regular', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: rgba(252, 252, 252, 0.95); clear: none !important;"em style="line-height: 1.8em; color: inherit !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; text-decoration-color: currentcolor !important; clear: none !important;"Lupine Lawlessness: Why Lycanthropes Don't Deserve to Live/em. My mind instantly went to my father and I spun my head around, scanning to see if anyone was looking. Did people actually believe this nonsense? How could any werewolf possibly be less deserving of life than anyone else?/p  
p style="line-height: 1.8em; color: #333333; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, '.SFNSText-Regular', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: rgba(252, 252, 252, 0.95); clear: none !important;""Oh that volume's outdated." A casual voice said from behind me. I jumped at the sight of a boy almost my age (a year older?) with blonde hair neatly combed back. "Oh, dear. Sorry to startle you. I'm Anthony. Anthony Goldstein."/p  
p style="line-height: 1.8em; color: #333333; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, '.SFNSText-Regular', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: rgba(252, 252, 252, 0.95); clear: none !important;"He held out a hand and I shook it tentatively. "Abigail Lupin." I eventually responded. He nodded, glancing back at the book. /p  
p style="line-height: 1.8em; color: #333333; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, '.SFNSText-Regular', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: rgba(252, 252, 252, 0.95); clear: none !important;""Sounds a bit like Lupem style="line-height: 1.8em; color: inherit !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; text-decoration-color: currentcolor !important; clear: none !important;"ine/em doesn't it?" He joked, chuckling quietly. I could feel my heartbeat getting fast at the thought of him mentioning my father's condition, but he just stopped laughing and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Sorry. Erm, I guess I just make bad jokes when I get nervous."/p  
p style="line-height: 1.8em; color: #333333; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, '.SFNSText-Regular', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: rgba(252, 252, 252, 0.95); clear: none !important;""As if there's much to be nervous about around a first year." I say sarcastically. Anthony laughs a second time and shrugs his shoulder. /p  
p style="line-height: 1.8em; color: #333333; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, '.SFNSText-Regular', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: rgba(252, 252, 252, 0.95); clear: none !important;""Not that there's anything wrong with a first year. Everybody starts from some beginnings." Luna walked up to my side and glanced at Anthony curiously. Her gaze shifted back to the bookshelf so she didn't directly interrupt our conversation, but it was clear that Anthony was done speaking. "Well, I'll see you around... first year."/p  
p style="line-height: 1.8em; color: #333333; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, '.SFNSText-Regular', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: rgba(252, 252, 252, 0.95); clear: none !important;""I guess it's inevitable." I agreed. Anthony gave one more nervous smile before jogging up the stairway to reach his dormitory. /p  
p style="line-height: 1.8em; color: #333333; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, '.SFNSText-Regular', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: rgba(252, 252, 252, 0.95); clear: none !important;""Well he seems very friendly." Luna pointed out, thumbing at the cover of an old transfiguration guidebook. Her eyes were as wide as always in that intrigued, attentive stare. "Perhaps we'll see him tomorrow morning. Until then I suggest we sleep. Classes start in the morning, after all."/p  
p style="line-height: 1.8em; color: #333333; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, '.SFNSText-Regular', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: rgba(252, 252, 252, 0.95); clear: none !important;"I followed Luna up to the girls' dormitories and searched around all of the four poster beds lined one after the next. Each bed already had a trunk placed by it and I scanned everyone until I found the familiar tattered leather corners on my father's old trunk. Inside held all of my books, my wand, my cauldron, and my robes. Clambering into the bed, I turned to my side to see that Luna was placed right next to my bed. She casually laid out on the bed and looked up at the ceiling for the last time before the two of us both fell asleep./p 


	3. CHAPTER THREE

The next day brought waves of excitement, confusion, and anxiety all at once. Breakfast came and went in a numb blur- not having my father there to share my plate with was a new experience to me and I found myself getting up with the sun to prepare breakfast even though everyone else was still asleep and the only ones in the kitchen would be the House Elves. Getting my class schedule for the day lightened the mood substantially- especially since I would be spending the morning with Hufflepuff in Transfiguration so I could be with both Luna and Lasea.

The three of us made our way to the classroom (we only got lost three times, which I was sure I would surpass by dinner) and once walking inside we sat Professor McGonagall preparing for the start of the class. We were apparently right on time because the minute we sat down was when she began. "Welcome new students." The professor began. Her eyes grazed over all of us equally before she continued. "It will only be appropriate for me to give you a brief disclosure before we begin anything else. Assuming you all have found your way to the correct classroom, you are here to learn about the art of Transfiguration. Now I say art with all seriousness because this class _is_ an art. Should you disrespect any of the complexities it takes, expect to be dismissed and never return to my class."

Lasea and I gave each other a tense glance before looking back at Professor McGonagall to see what she would say next. "Perfect. Now, I would like to introduce you to a new concept. The transformation formula; something you will all need to take into consideration before each and every Transfiguration spell you cast..."

And so began my first day at Hogwarts. A nice, easygoing learning experience with some calculation and note taking. Herbology went by in what felt like seconds with the Gryffindor first years and soon I would be on my way to Potions. My hopes were pretty high for that class since I was old enough to know what school it. With my mother being a Healer, I was constantly at the cauldron with her helping her brew all sorts of potions of varying difficulties. I heard all sorts of warnings about the Potions master, but I was certain that with enough dedication to the subject (which I surely had) I would be ready to handle anything he threw my way.

Luna had gone off to class with another friend so I was left alone to make my way to wherever the Potion's room was. Wandering the halls, I would ask for directions from anybody who passed by, but pretty soon everybody had already made it to their classes and I was left to guess my way there. When I found a room with a tall door and not a lot of noise coming from outside I assumed that must be the room, so I open the door and walked in, already rambling apologies.

"My apologies, Professor, I just got so lost on the way here and-" Stopping to look around, I realized the room was filled with students hunched over a test on their desks. At the front of the room sat Gilderoy Lockhart, who was timing the students for when they should finish.

All heads looked up and turned to me and my face went pink at the realization that I had stumbled into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. "Are you lost, dear?" Lockhart asked empathetically. "What class were you off to, I can see if one of my students would be willing to guide you there."

Before I got the chance to answer the question, hands shot up left and right. However, when I admitted I was on my way to Potions, all hands but one fell back down. "Ah, perfect. Anthony if you would escort... I'm sorry what was your name?"

"Abigail." Anthony answered for me, a smirk on his face when he saw me ducking my head in embarrassment. Lockhart nodded at Anthony and he made his way over to me so that we could finally be off. "This place is pretty big, but I think the one thing that you should try to remember is that Potions is in the _dungeons_." Anthony teased.

"Well this was the lowest floor I could find! I Just assumed I had made it to the dungeons already." I tried defending my mistake, but it was no use trying. Especially with Anthony's witty remarks just to get under my skin.

"There's a lot left for you to learn, isn't there, first year?" He led me down a corridor that was actually located in the dungeons and stopped in front of a stone wall with one looming door leading into the Potions class. "First things first, Professor Snape never accepts tardiness. Under any circumstances."

My throat started to close up nervously when he mentioned that bit of information. "Second, he's a bit of a bully. Don't be surprised if you hear a fair amount of insults aimed your way- it's just Snape's way of teaching."

"And what if there's nothing to make fun of?" I asked, trying to throw in a bit of confidence. I was always the best at Potions- I could brew up a wiggenweld potion before I could read.

"There will be." Anthony stated blandly. Putting both hands on my shoulders he looked into my eyes dramatically and whispered "good luck" before opening the door and walking me in.

"Goldstein, what on earth are you doing in here?" Snape asked immediately with his back turned towards the both of us. How was he able to tell it was us, exactly?

I saw Luna in the back of the room, holding back laughter at how embarrassed I seemed to be there, which made my cheeks glow an ever brighter shade of red. A few other Gryffindors began snickering, but they all went silent when Snape faced the entire class.

"Abigail Lupin here was having trouble finding your class, Professor. I was just leading her here." Anthony explained, slowly backing up towards the door.

"Lupin, go take a spot next to Miss Weasley." Snape murmured harshly. "And because of your absence, I will be taking twenty points from Ravenclaw." Classmates turned to glare at me, just to snap their heads back toward Snape in fear. "If you are ever late to my class again, you can count on much more severe punishment. Leave my class, Goldstein."

Anthony went hurrying out of the room and I found my place next to the flame-color-haired Gryffindor who was nearly just as shy as I was. The class continued to jot down notes that Snape was calling out to them and I snatched a peace of parchment from my bag along with a quill to join everyone in scribbling everything he said.

"I can let you copy down the rest after class if you'd like." The Weasley offered under her breath. I nodded gratefully and waited patiently for the class to some to an end. I could practically feel Professor Snape's eyes drilling holes through the back of my head every time I hunched over to write something down.

"That's enough writing!" Snape yelled at me when I was trying to copy down his last few words. "Lupin, it's a real shame as you are the spitting image of your parents, I was hoping you would be able to channel your mother's intellect." The class laughed at me except for the girl to my left and I could feel more color rushing to my cheeks as every second passed.

"My apologies, Professor." I tried excusing, earning another laugh from the class, but Snape was not happy with my response.

"Allow me to offer a chance at redemption. What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

"The Draught of Living Death, sir." I answered easily. Snape's lips pursed at me effortless response and the class's tension grew when they saw his hesitation.

"And what, would you say, is the use of a bezoar?"

"It is a natural antidote to most potions and poisons, Professor." I answered just as quickly. Students behind me whispered their support and silently cheered me on, making my heart flutter with both pride and fear.

"Name one of the exceptions." He demanded, his questions coming faster now.

"Basilisk venom."

"Point one out to me."

"On your desk to the right of your vial of the cure for boils." I pointed to the lumpy rock on his desk and Snape's eyes narrowed as the class's cheers grew louder. All around, people were laughing and encouraging me to keep going, but Snape slammed his hand on his desk to silence all of us in a second flat.

"Miss Lupin I will be taking another point from Ravenclaw for your distracting urge to prove your worth-"

"For getting the answers right, you mean?" A Gryffindor argued from the other side of the room.

"Mr. Creevey, that's five points from Gryffindor for speaking out of place." He glanced around the room to see if there would be any more objections, nodding when the silence was restored. "I want you all to pair up with someone from a different house. You will be crafting the same cure for boils that Miss Lupin pointed out on my desk- anything of lesser quality will fail regardless, am I understood?"

Everyone nodded and rushed over to find an appropriate partner. The girl I was placed with introduced herself by her first name (Ginny) and agreed that we would rather avoid the hassle and decide to work together. Snape scanned the aisles, peering over every shoulder to check up on the progress up until he reached the two of us.

Reaching over my shoulder, he collected both my book and Ginny's and held them away from me. "Miss Lupin, since you seem to know absolutely everything about the art of potion-making, I am going to request that you make this without your book."

Surrounding tables glanced from me to Snape and gave me sympathetic looks as I nervously tried to recall all the ingredients in the potion. Grabbing a mortar from the side of the cauldron, I started crushing six snake fangs while Ginny sliced pungous onions into fine fragments. With the cauldron heated, I threw in the fangs and Ginny added the onions.

Clouds of green came from the cauldron when Ginny began to stew our horned slugs. She nervously flinched at the reaction until I told her it was supposed to happen and we continued on. When it came time to add porcupine quills, everyone else had already finished and they watched intently to see if Ginny and I could actually succeed without using the potions book. Ginny took the cauldron off the fire and soon after, I added the quills, stirring intently until it was perfectly prepared and finished.

Snape stood at my side as I stirred the quills, grabbing my wrist mid-stir with a grip tight enough to make my bones ache. I looked up at him nervously and winced instinctively when he spoke. "Do try to contain your pride or you'll end up as big a mess as your father."

Turning his back, to me he marched off, dismissing the class to go prepare for dinner. Ginny and Luna both followed me out of class, bouncing from the excitement of the day. "Merlin's beard that was incredible!" Luna mused.

"Wicked." Ginny agreed. I shrugged my shoulder, keeping my head down as I walked with the set destination of the Ravenclaw Common Room. All that I could focus on was Snape's comments ringing in my head.

He called my father a mess. Books all over the place were filled with all this information criticizing werewolves. They were labeled as dangerous- a disgrace. And it seemed that all I could do was listen to it- what would happen if everyone had found out werewolves could be gentle? That they could have children like me and they could father them as brilliantly as my father did. Every teacher so far has compared me to my mother- "oh you're just as bright as Emerlyn" "you have your mother's grace, you know" "I remember when your mother was learning this spell". But were there ever any positive comments about Dad? Would anyone dare mention his punctuality, his responsibility, his humility?

"Hey, don't let Snape get to you, Abigail." Ginny comforted by my side. "He's tormented my whole family for ages. I guess it's just his way of claiming authority."

"Yeah, I guess." I murmured, brushing off my feelings for the time being. I could write all of it to Dad when everyone else slept in the dormitory.


	4. CHAPTER FOUR

_Dear Father,_

 _I hope everything is running smoothly at home with me gone. I guess that by now you've heard that I got into Ravenclaw- just like you said Mum should have. The classes here are amazing so far. However, Potions can be a pain. It feels like Professor Snape has a sort of vendetta against me with how cold he always is. No worries, I suppose. I refuse to let that get in the way of enjoying my favorite subject. And who knows, maybe he will learn to accept me a little more as time goes by..._

 _I miss our mornings the most... but I've made amazing friends already. I have a feeling you would like them a lot- especially a girl named Lasea. Her parents are Muggles, and she was sorted into Hufflepuff, but she has stayed very close to me since the Hogwarts Express. She plans on staying at Hogwarts over Christmas, so maybe I could send her some of the fudge we love to make together. I know she's a lover of sweets so she'll probably enjoy it a lot._

 _You've met the Lovegoods, right? Mr. Lovegood's daughter Luna is in my house and we have beds right next to each other. She's actually a really sweet girl even though people are intimidated by her curiosity. I think after a while she could even remind you a little bit of me if you spent enough time around her. She has a great sense of humor too- one of the best I've ever seen._

 _I know the full moon is coming up... I'll be thinking of you when it's here. I know how much of a_ special _time that was for us back home, so don't forget to treat it just as important while I'm gone. I can't wait to see you again for Christmas!_

 _Love,_  
 _Abigail_

Folding the paper neatly, I slid my letter inside an envelope before heading downstairs to the hall for breakfast. Luna, being the early rider she was, had already left just when I started writing the letter and I arranged to meet up with her again as soon as I finished. On my way through the doors of the Great Hall I ran into (quite literally) one of the Gryffindor boys I shared Potions with yesterday.

We both stumbled a little bit, flailing to regain our balance while clumsily apologising to each other. "So sorry!" The boy said holding his hand out to help steady me. "Hey! You're that girl from Potions."

"I'm sure there were lots of girls in that class." I excused sarcastically and the boy laughed politely. "I have a name- and it is _not_ Miss Lupin if anyone but Snape is referring to me."

"And for some devastating reason I can't seem to remember it." The boy raised one eyebrow at me until I finally offered my name.

"Abigail." He eagerly shook my hand when I introduced myself.

"I'm Colin." He grinned at me and followed by my side as I took a few steps further into the Great Hall. I nodded shyly and he continued to speak excitedly. "Well, sorry for bumping into you again. My dad told me to make friends with everyone I can while I'm here- he's a Muggle, you see, and my whole family's new to this wizarding business."

"Well that's a good idea on your father's part. What's a better way to learn than making friends?" I offered. Luna sat at the Ravenclaw table, looking at me intently as I approached with a familiar looking owl perched in front of her.

"Iring!" I exclaimed excitedly, running over to the family owl. He was a northern hawk owl with large yellow eyes and a matching beak that would frequently tend to kindly nibble on my fingertips whenever I passed by.

"Iring? Is that your owl's name? Lots of people here own owls, and their mail is delivered by them. Do you have to train them to do that? Or is that in their instinct when they're around wizards?" Colin kept questioning me, but my focus was directed on the letter that sat neatly propped up against a plate of toast. My father's handwriting showed my name scrawled out in big letters across an aged envelope, and my heart jumped in excitement to hear from him.

"Actually, I wouldn't know. Iring's been in my life since I was born and my father never told me about any behavior problems he ever had." I admitted, taking a seat next to Luna. "Would you like to have a seat?"

"I'm a Gryffindor." He stated blandly, looking from the table across the room and back over to me. "I'm not sure how much that matters, but... I'll see you around later?"

"Alright." I shrugged. Colin scurried back over to where the rest of his house was seated and I looked over at Luna.

"I already set up your plate." She said, flipping through pages of _The Quibbler_ casually.

"Thank you so much Luna." I said, picking at the toasted bread for a few seconds before declaring it finished and tearing open my letter.

 _Abigail,_

 _The house is already empty without you, my love. I hope you're having a wonderful time at school and I can't wait to hear all about your courses. You got into Ravenclaw! I know how excited you were about making it to Gryffindor, but believe me when I say that I have always known you are the perfect example of a Ravenclaw. Your mother would have been so proud to see you all grown up, but I suppose I have already produced enough excitement for the both of us. Papa Will has been asking about you since the day you left. I've told him all about how great you're already doing so be sure to live up to what I said._

 _Everything is looking great for the full moon coming up. I wish you were here with me for it, but I'm sure you will be able to enjoy the sight much more at the castle- you're mother was always enticed by the way the sky looked. I will most likely write you just after the full moon to give you a full update on the house, just like I know you'd want. Also, Iring has made quite the habit of screeching around dinner time. I believe he's used to you playing little games with him so I've made arrangements to have him stay with you at the castle._

 _Stay safe and have fun,_  
 _Remus_

Holding the paper close, I sipped at my glass of pumpkin juice and stroked Iring's head, offering some of the crumbs of my toast. "I bet you're all worn out, poor birdie. Get some rest before delivering this to Dad, all right?"

Iring cooed in response, nuzzling my knuckles a bit before pecking at my bread once again. Luna made comments about the paper she was reading every now and then, but breakfast ended up being a generally quiet time for the two of us. When we got our schedules, I sighed at the thought of beginning the day with Muggle Studies. I could be an interesting class at times, but it made me anxious at the thought of being in there and being one of the only ones to know Muggles personally.

Families all around this school had such pride for pure blood that it became a constant daunting chore to hide my father's condition and the fact that my grandfather is a Muggle. Between the two, it sank in that I was about the farthest from ordinary in this entire school- an encouraging thought. Luna stood from the table and glanced my way, signaling for me to get up and join her.

Iring joined the rest of the owls on his way to the owlery where he would be staying for the rest of the year. Without any more excuses, I got up and followed her on our way to class. Hopefully this one would turn out better than it did with Snape.

* * *

Sorry it's been so long! Between school and major writer's block it was pretty tricky getting this chapter out, but I'll make sure the next ones after this are better!


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